Gotham FC vs LD Alajuelense preview: Kicking off the Champions Cup

In their fourth different competition of the season, NJ/NY Gotham FC will travel down to Costa Rica to take on Liga Deportiva Alajuelense Femenil, or LD Alajuelense, in their first match of the inaugural CONCACAF W Champions Cup. While this is Gotham's first match of the tournament, this is the second match week of the competition. Due to each group containing five teams, each match week will have one team from both groups remain idle.

During match week one, Alajuelense took on Frazsiers Whip of Jamaica and comfortably disposed of them by a score of 5-0. This put the Costa Rican side at the top of the group ahead of Tigres UANL Femenil in second. The loss put Frazsiers Whip in last with C.F. Monterrey Femenil in second to last. Gotham FC is currently right in the middle in third place given they are yet to play their first game.

Alajuelense's last match in Costa Rican league play came on Friday, August, 30 as they defeated Saprissa Fútbol Femenino by a score of 3-2. Alajuelense currently sits in first place in Costa Rica with 12 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in 14 games, good enough for 37 points. Gotham is coming off their fourth loss of the season and their first in over two months after falling 2-0 to the Orlando Pride. The game was much closer than what the score suggests with the NJ/NY side winning the xG battle. That was partially thanks to how well they neutralized Golden Boot candidate Barbra Banda, Still, a stellar performance from Orlando's Adriana and the Pride's ability to capitalize on a few Gotham mistakes were enough to sink the Bats.

Despite the long travel down to Costa Rica, this should be a decent candidate for a bounce-back game for Gotham FC. While Alajuelense is one of the better CONCACAF teams, they are still a step below the NWSL and Liga MX Femenil clubs. So, here is a preview of this Champions Cup matchup.

Date

Gotham FC and LD Alajuelense will face off on Thursday, September 5.

Time

The game is scheduled to start at 8:00 PM ET.

Location

The match will take place at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

How to watch

The match will be streamed on Paramount+.

Weather

The potential for weather delays in consecutive games is very real. There is currently a 80%+ chance for thunderstorms throughout the course of the afternoon. At kickoff, the chance will be at 40%. This combined with the 90% humidity will make it pretty hard for the field to dry up quickly if the scheduled amount of rain arrives.

Injury Report

Midge Purce (knee) and Abby Smith (lower leg) remain on the season-ending injury list. The rest of the list is to be determined. It is unknown whether Gotham FC will announce the report.

Players to watch

Fans should expect a heavily rotated lineup due to the travel, midweek game, and weaker opponent. Therefore, Gotham FC supporters should expect a big game from Katie Stengel in this one. Despite her two goals in the Summer Cup, she has been snake-bitten in league play and has yet to score on the season. This would be a great opportunity for her to get a few goals and hopefully kick-start a strong end to the season.

For Alajuelense, goalkeeper Noelia Bermúdez will probably be kept busy by the Gotham attackers. She kept a clean sheet against the USWNT in their Olympic sendoff match back in July, so she can play with some of the best. If Alajuelense stands any chance in this game, then Bermúdez must be at her best.

Prediction

Gotham looks to be in prime position to win this one, and in dominant fashion at that. A 4-0 win with goals from Yazmeen Ryan, Esther González, and a brace from Stengel seems to be a likely outcome. Even if this is not the exact result, do not be surprised if Gotham FC set season highs in goals in a game as well as the margin of victory.